Source Water Protection

About 30% of watershed residents rely on drinking water from outside our watershed, through regional water lines from the Red Deer River and North Saskatchewan River. Another 35% rely on surface water sources within the Battle River and Sounding Creek watersheds, while the remaining 35% rely on groundwater sources.

Protecting water at the source means looking at how our actions on the land impact these surface and groundwater supplies. And it’s not just for us that we protect the quality and quantity of our water resources. The health of aquatic ecosystems and the watershed as a whole relies on clean and adequate supplies of water.

Success Story: Camrose Source Water Protection Plan

The Camrose Source Water Protection Initiative is complete! Beginning in 2015, the City of Camrose, Camrose County, and the Battle River Watershed Alliance partnered on a new initiative to protect the Battle River and Driedmeat Lake as a key water source for the City of Camrose, the Village of Bittern Lake, and the residents of Ohaton and Braim.

The plan looks at all the lands in the Camrose region that regularly contribute rain and snowfall run-off to the Battle River and Driedmeat Lake upstream of the Highway 56 weir. A healthy environment provides a strong foundation on which to build healthy communities and economies. Protecting water sources increases the recreational value of the area, reduces public health risks associated with poor water quality, enhances natural ecosystems, and minimizes the costs of treating drinking water.

The Camrose Source Water Protection Plan identifies risks to source waters within the planning area and outlines management actions that can be implemented to protect water quality in the Camrose region.